


Crush

by rikus



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-08
Updated: 2017-06-08
Packaged: 2018-11-10 21:40:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11135211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rikus/pseuds/rikus
Summary: "i think i've got a little crush on you."





	Crush

It burned all the way to his fingertips, the urge to touch her. Just a little bit of intimacy, something he could cherish for a little bit. Maybe just place the palms of his hands on her cheeks - feel her skin warm at his touch, watch as her eyes widened just a bit in surprise. Maybe her glossed lips would part a little bit, too. He could watch as her breath caught in her throat... All within a matter of seconds. Just a few seconds was all he wanted, it was probably all he could handle.

Yet here he sat, in his homeroom, listening as the guys ragged on him for having a crush on the nerd girl who knew too much, how he could do so much better than the prude with the nice body. He'd knock their teeth out if it wouldn't end in him getting suspended.

"So? What makes her so special, anyway?"

"What do you mean?" Gray asked, shooting a glare at the boy who asked it.

"Is it her rack? Or are you a brains guy, Gray?" he teased, and it was then that Gray decided to take his leave before he really did get suspended.

He pushed himself from his desk and left the room, making note of the time so he'd catch his next class in time. He fingered the change rattling in his pocket as he searched for the teacher's lounge to buy a bottle of water. He could hear the faint chatter from each classroom he walked through the mundane hallways. He peaked into each classroom as he walked by, surveying each one swiftly. He knew who he was looking for, but he couldn't spot her. 

Regardless, he made it to the teacher's lounge. He pulled the change from his pocket and popped it into the vending machine, resting one hand against the vending machine and kept the other stuffed in his pants pocket. His face felt warm. Did it fluster him that much not seeing her where she'd usually be? He felt a bit creepy. When the water bottle dropped down, he picked it up and took a big drink of it before making his way out of the teacher's lounge. He brushed shoulders with another student and, to his luck, it was the girl he'd been looking for.

She looked up in a panic, catching Gray's gaze with her own and stopping him in his tracks. His eyes widened in surprise before he attempted to let himself regain his posture. "Are you alright?" 

"Yes, I'm fine." Lucy replied, tentatively brushing a strand of golden hair from her eyes. She played with the fraying hem of her skirt with her other hand. Gray could feel his heart pound being this close to her, and he hated himself for feeling so childish about this. They weren't in the fifth grade anymore, they were seniors, for goodness sake. He should be able to keep his cool around the girl he likes. He didn't reply, he instead nodded and rushed away from her, too afraid of saying something stupid or making things awkward if he'd stayed any longer. The burning in his bones returned tenfold, and he took another sip of water to attempt to cool himself down. 

Classes went by slowly, too slowly for his liking. He steamed on the fact that he felt like a fool. He finally had a decent chance to talk to her, and he left without saying anything. He didn't feel he was particularly stoic, and he hated the idea that she might think so. He rarely gets to see her - she's always caught up in some school activity or studying. Whenever he does see her, it's very brief, and he's not close enough to make conversation. It's when she's walking home alone, earbuds in her ear, her footsteps changing in tune with whatever she could be listening to. He's always too nervous to offer to walk home with her when he sees her, or try asking her out to ice cream or something akin to it. 

It seemed the gods were siding with him today, though, as he managed to spot her by her locker, saying her final goodbye to a few of her classmates before slinging her bag across her shoulder and getting ready to leave. He wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip away. He’d waited too long to catch her at a time she didn’t seem crazy busy.

Gray caught up quickly, gently bumping into her because he couldn't think of any other way to get her attention. She whipped her head around in a flurry. He watched as her features softened once she realized who it was, and his heart nearly stopped. He cleared his throat before speaking. "Would you like to, uh, get something sweet with me?"

"Something sweet?" Lucy giggled, and he felt his heart soar. God, he loved this girl. 

"Like... Ice cream, or donuts, or... Well, there's a new bakery that opened up by my place if you want to check that out?" 

"I'd love to." she said. Gray took the victory and walked with her out of the school building. The weather was warm, very warm. 

They walked in a bit of silence. Lucy seemed content with it, Gray felt like he was being smothered by it. He wasn't sure how to feel. He finally managed to ask her out somewhere, which was a huge step. He imagined what the guys would say about it, he'd like to think they'd be proud. Maybe not, though. They're assholes. 

"So what made you decide to ask me out of the blue?" Lucy asked. 

"End of the year is coming up, might as well take advantage of the time I have left with some of my friends, you included." 

"Me included?" 

"Yes," he laughed, "It feels long overdue." 

"You know what? I kind of get what you mean." She laughed. The silence settled once more, but this time it didn't feel so bad. It was much more comfortable. Breaking the ice was a good move on her part, despite the panic that struck him at the question. He didn't want to admit his feelings so soon in the night by letting her know he asked her out with him because he wanted to eventually date her. 

The walk wasn't very long. Gray lived close to the school, a 20-minute walk at most. The bakery was a smidgen closer. Gray pulled the door open for Lucy, to which she softly thanked him before bee-lining for the array of desserts. They had donuts and slices of all sorts of different cakes and brownies and cookies and - God, sweets galore. Gray laughed at her excitement, it was beyond cute to observe. He stood behind her, his eyes scanning the choice before making his choice, a classic strawberry cheesecake. He waited for Lucy to make hers before ordering for the two of them. He sent Lucy to find a seat for them while he paid and grabbed the desserts. Lucy ordered the same thing as he did. 

He sat across from her and set her plate in front of her and handing her a fork before digging into his own. They let out a simultaneous hum of delight before breaking off into some small talk. They talked about colleges, the change of the weather, the people they would and wouldn't miss moving on. Every time she laughed he couldn't hide the stupid grin that spread across his face, and it made him happier than he could describe seeing that she was having a genuinely good time with him. 

Halfway through his own cake, Gray took a break and propped his head up on his hand, watching her as she watched out of the window. She finished her food before he did, which was a surprise, but he didn't mind. She looked so at peace with the moment. The last of the high school kids walking home passed by, the traffic was getting a bit much given it was rush hour about now. Her eyes were so soft as she observed the world around them, and he was sure she was seeing the beauty in everything she saw.   
He finished his cheesecake and threw the paper plates and plastic forks away, buying a bottle of water before leaving with Lucy. She stretched her arms above her head as they stood outside of the bakery, letting out a content sigh. 

"I'll walk you home," Gray said as he handed her the bottle of water, "Where do you live?" 

"It's fine, you don't need to." Lucy spoke quickly. "I mean, you already bought me food, you don't need to do that. The sun's still up, I'll be fine." 

"Are you sure?" Gray asked, unhappy with her answer but willing to respect it if that's what she wanted. 

"Yes. Thank you for today. I enjoyed myself." She said, offering him a wave. He slowly raised his hand up in a disheartened wave, and his fingertips ached with the urge to touch her. He didn't want to leave it like this. They had two weeks of school left, he was sure she'd be busier now than ever. Without even thinking, he reached forward and grabbed her wrist. She gasped in surprise, turning to face him with a flustered expression. What was he going to do? Even he wasn't sure. 

He stepped closer to her, letting her wrist go but bringing his hand up to her cheek instead. It was like he had hoped, although he was much more anxious than he'd ever imagined. He could feel the heat rush to her cheeks and her eyes were wide with... something. Not quite fear, not quite excitement but a little bit of both. He brought his other hand up to her cheek and that's when he realized what he was about to do. He could feel his heart begin to weigh him down, he wasn't sure he wanted to do this. What would be perfect for him wouldn't be perfect for her, and the last thing he wanted to do was make her uncomfortable. 

He dropped one hand and pressed his forehead against hers, his eyes closed as he did so. This was enough. This was more than enough. He could feel her breath fanning his face and he smiled a bit before stepping back.

"I'll... See you tomorrow." He said, watching as Lucy slowly process what just happened. 

"Yeah... See you tomorrow." She replied before turning and running from him. 

He brought his hand up to his forehead, and before she completely disappeared from his sight, he could see that Lucy did, too.

**Author's Note:**

> this is pretty short and i'm still bad at writing endings but hey, it's been a while since i've written, lol. this is dedicated to my babe lea. we haven't talked in a while, but i'm always thankful that we're friends. we have so many memories together, and hopefully we'll be able to make more someday. so, to you, my gray, hope you have a rockin' birthday!


End file.
